Fall photos!

As we near 6 months old, the days darken and the weather gets colder. Alex's milestones this month have included a lot of physical leaps, such as easily rolling over both ways, doing push-ups and airplanes on the ground, and short periods of self-supported sitting. Of course, along with the sitting have come some amusing tip-overs and some much less amusing knocks on the melon, but no real injuries so far.
Solids are the adventure of the month with bananas being a real hit and apples the next adventure tonight. He's not a big fan of spoons, but will be getting used to them soon. He now has cereal in nearly every bottle (oatmeal is the favorite) and is growing stronger. Many sounds come out of him at all times of day, and giggling is getting more frequent! Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming soon, and we think he'll like them. Here are a few fall and Halloween photos. As this time of year comes around, I have also enjoyed reflecting on last year, the pregnancy, and all of our favorite time of year (Sept-Dec). Enjoy the switch to Daylight Standard time today - we're certainly enjoying the extra hour of sleep!

5 month photos

Here are the better-late-than-never more recent photos of Alex throughout 4 and 5 months - the best of them, anyhow! Enjoy.

Whoops... almost 5 months!

So, as you can see, the posts dropped off when I returned to work and it got worse when I started class in September again. Sorry! Alex is growing well, and at his 4 month appointment he was 16 pounds 6 oz, which was 80th percentile for weight and head size and 85th for length - he's really long! He has to wear 9 month clothes which fit him shoulder to toes but are poofy on the sides because he's not really fat enough. :D I'll be posting pictures and hopefully a video or two later as well, just not tonight. In other news, he's rolling over (almost from back to stomach), getting accurate with his hands, giggling, and eating rice cereal in his bottle once a day. He plays more on his own now and even fusses to be left on the floor instead of being held (sad and wonderful all at once) and he sleeps through the night. Sometimes we have to get up and replace his pacifier so he can fall back asleep, but he no longer nurses or has bottles (whew)!
Our little dude has picked up several more nicknames - little pumpkin, little man, little dude, stinky butt, lil' seet, little Alex and droolbuckets. All are amusing and he answers to pretty much anything. He charmed the nurses today while Mom had a doctor visit, and he has also flirted with many a store clerk, shopper, coworker, neighbor, and plenty of total strangers! His cousin Isaac is being very cute, he rocks Alex in his carseat and can give him hugs and kisses. Then again, he can also throw blocks at his head and make him cry, so really it's like they are brothers.
We are very excited about the arrival of fall and have tried to do some fun family outings. We have had plenty of short and long fall walks, we went to the State Fair, we had visits from family, we changed into winter clothes and got acquainted with soft blankies, we visited the Fox Family Farm and bought pumpkins to carve, and I've been eating fall food. It's a pity he's not ready for veggies yet, because the squash I've been roasting for myself would be the perfect first pureed food for him! I'll have to pick up a baby food mill and freeze some - but our freezer is still full of breastmilk. He's no longer breastfeeding due to work and school time constraints (it just became too much), but he still puts away a couple of bottles of Mama's milk daily. And it's true that formula poos are much stinkier.
Well, sorry for the gap - I'll try to do more frequent postings with a couple of photos instead of monster mega stories! Anyone who would like to see frequent large volumes of baby photos and some various pet ones should probably visit my Facebook page.

3 months!

Alex turned 3 months old this week! 3 months truly is a fun time with a baby. They really interact with you, laughing, giggling, babbling, rarely crying, and showing some signs of a little independent playtime (whew). Sorry folks, but we still haven't gotten the video recorder to work properly yet so that the video looks right on the computer. I think we need to mess with the format or something. However, there are plenty of photos and for many many more go ahead and make friends with us on Facebook!

Last week we had a BBQ to raise money and supplies for the kids in the area needing help with school supplies for the coming year. We're taking a big box of supplies today including all kinds of things down to Hastings Family Services today. Thanks everyone! The day was nicer than any we'd had all summer and we had some great burgers and brats thanks to Josh! Alex had fun at his impromptu-3-month party, which was his first outdoor grilling party at our house. He got to see his cousin and 2nd cousins - it's so much fun to see the boys in all their different stages of development!

Among the new things Alex loves are playing in his play gym, playing airplane with Daddy, and not-quite-hating his tummy time. There's a lot of laughing, shrieking, and babbling like I said. He sits and stands with help, but doesn't really have those fine motor skills down at all yet - he's just starting to learn how to grab a toy and stuff it in his mouth. Oh well, I hear the 3rd month is "hand play" month and that's when they often learn those sorts of things.

We're all waiting anxiously for fall - the leaves are actually turning here and the corn is becoming yellow too. Back to school and football are looming, so we're excited for our favorite season. We're really in the mood for chilly weather and fall food... come on September! Then it won't be too hot and humid to walk with Alex outside, although we've taken some great trips in the Moby now that he's facing forward.

In other news, he's got me making so much milk that I had over a hundred frozen ounces in the fridge when he turned 3 months! I have signed up with a milk bank to be a donor for premature and sick babies, but they won't take any of the milk I have since I'm on Depo-Provera. Once it runs out in September, I'm going to switch to a low-dose Pill and then they'll take the extra. It just makes me sick to think of someday pouring it down the drain, right?

Meanwhile, we're dealing with Alex's first non-well-baby-visit to the doctor - pinkeye. Hopefully it's bacterial, not viral, and will go away shortly. Meanwhile, it doesn't bother him at all, but it was no fun missing Nicholas's 5th birthday party yesterday and it's just not quite the same being around other people, because they're wary of holding him. Well, he's pretty content whether he's with Mom and Dad or in someone else's arms for now!

It’s been a month since I went back to work and Alex has had a lot of fun! He’s doing great staying with his daddy in the morning and his auntie in the afternoon, plenty of time to socialize and has a great routine now. He’s started to sleep in his crib for 6-8 hours a night in the room next to ours, although he’s still cosleeping when he’s not in the crib – he has trouble getting back to sleep after any night feedings. He can now laugh, grin, wiggle, grasp the bottle or breast and is batting at toys. He does well with tummy time, keeping his head up for long periods of time – I think he’ll be working on push ups soon! There’s a 5am party each morning with Mom and Dad when Mom is getting ready for work and Dad has to feed him, but other than that he sleeps well. He’s got great chubby cheeks and seems to be growing well – in fact, I have so much milk that I have to wear cloth diapers at night to keep from leaking, and we have nearly a hundred ounces of milk frozen – so I decided to apply to donate extra milk to a local milk bank for preemies and sick newborns to drink. Hooray! All that milk makes a lot of diapers, but not too bad – we definitely found that Gdiapers didn’t work for us, so we ordered some Bumgenius Flip diapers and will be trying them when they ship. We heard about them at the awesome Bradley reunion last Sunday, where we got to see Meisha and Henry and some of the other babies from the class and tell our birth stories – it was really great to see everyone! It seems Alex isn’t the only kid with persistent cradle cap, either – I spied a few cases while I was there. He’s into playing now, in the play gym, with his toys, in the swing, and we have a lullaby and dancing selection in his room now for his entertainment. He smiles practically anytime he sees someone smiling at him, which is really enjoyable but makes it hard to leave in the morning. We even have conversations now where we talk and babble back and forth – he’s very active and talkative, which makes it fun. On the plus side, Mom’s getting back in shape really well, almost back down to the prepregnancy weight and we just bought a Mom and Baby yoga/pilates/dancing/playing video that looks really good – we watched it last night to see! All in all, a great 2nd month and Alex will turn 3 months old on Monday.

Back to Work

Last week had a couple of milestones - the biggest being my return to work. It was hard leaving my little buddy, but I was happy that Josh and Heather were there to take care of him. I didn't cry all last week, and I enjoyed my time at work catching up and seeing the people whom I spend most of my time with. It was doubly hard not seeing Alex or Josh all week, though, except a few hours a day with Alex and a half hour or so of grumpy Josh feeding him at 5:30am when my alarm goes off and I have to get ready, so I cried yesterday. Monday was a lot harder after I saw them both all weekend! Luckily, Alex had no problem with it. He mostly sleeps all day with Daddy, who has started to put him in the big crib for some of his naps so he can get used to it. He also mostly sleeps for Auntie too, and he drinks about 3 six ounce bottles a day. Pumping at work is a dream, there's a locked private room on every floor with a couch, chair, sink, and parenting magazines. I just do it twice a day so it's not so bad. Josh and Alex visited my work on Thursday and he charmed the pants off the whole floor! For those that didn't get to see him, we'll bring him by again sometime soon, don't worry.
Alex also had his 2 month doctor appointment. He is 90th percentile for weight, 86th percentile for length, and 65th percentile for head size... a big boy! Nothing on Isaac at that age, of course, but it's good to know he's growing so well. His head is pretty steady now and he should probably be holding it up on his own soon. He didn't like the shots too much, but Papa gave him some Tylenol so he didn't get a fever or anything.
Also switched out all his clothes to the 3-6 month size, opening up a whole new large wardrobe which now includes rompers, onesies, and footie pajamas. Thanks to aunties Nikki and Heather and to everyone who bought him gift clothing!

My First Seven Weeks

So news was short for his first seven weeks. Here are the milestones:

Week 1: In the hospital several days. Josh and the nurses care for our little tiger, but he rooms in with us most of the time. Mom can only nurse and recover from surgery. Regina has the best nurses on the planet. Arrived home Wednesday, unsure what to do with ourselves and him; good thing Grandma Michele was there to help! All her good food kept us fed and Tina laid low recovering. Little buddy struggles to figure out eating, sleeping, pooping and crying. Josh develops gastric reflux from the stress of having to do all the care and is put on medication to reduce nausea. Everything turns out OK after this is prescribed.

Week 2: Lots of visitors! Grandpa Al comes all the way from Grand Marais, and all the family and friends in town visit. Tina feels better and Alex is taken on his first stroller ride. Experiments with hybrid Gdiapers leave us on the fence about what we prefer to use for him. Realize that we didn't have the energy for 100% cloth diapers. Figured out some sleep tricks using lights, noise machine, pacifier, blanket. Boy refuses to be swaddled since the day he was born. Eating frequently and pooping frequently! First bonfire at auntie Jennifer's. Already doesn't fit into newborn clothes. Back to work for Dad who is now feeling great. Already picks his head up and very physically strong and active.

Week 3: After checkup Alex has gained lots of weight. Tina does her own first weight check and is surprised and pleased to have lost 30 pounds. Shopping at Target for some clothes to wear for Mom. Getting the hang of caring for him and taking longer and longer walks; have started to watch way too much TV. Sad to say goodbye to Grandma Michele and her cleaning and delicious meals, and her advice and tricks about taking care of a newborn. Weather's been hot since he was born, but still getting outside daily. Getting the hang of visiting outside the house - many relatives and trips to the Mall of America to walk in the hot weather. Has a first bottle of breastmilk to practice bottlefeeding so Mom can have a break and Dad can give feeding a try. Baby enjoys his first full-submersion bath (really!). Curls his hands around things and still hates tummy time.

Week 4: Have watched all 5 seasons of Weeds and getting restless. Know all his sleep tricks now - nurse him to sleep in the dark, no noise machine required, wake him between breasts by burping and diapering so he feeds longer and then falls asleep. Eternally grateful for Josh's nighttime diaper duty. Grandpa Chris visits from Grand Marais and little tiger attends his first sporting event - the State track meet. Tina enjoys her 27th birthday, marking that it was the most uneventful birthday of her life thus far. Not so hateful of tummy time but still not a big fan. Head much less floppy, can control it when sitting upright.

Week 5: Having gotten the go-ahead for running, biking, sex, and other fun sports, Tina is very excited. Feeling more like experts now, Mom and Dad can travel anywhere smoothly and have even gone out to restaurants as a family. Alex generally sleeps in the car and when out among noisy crowds, and a nap schedule begins to be established. Mom can now nurse with no hands and multitask. Have started to read lots of books, play with toys, play the piano and other music, sing to, and do fun games with the little buddy. However, getting very restless. Daddy gets the first smile and he deserves it. The beginnings of attempts at speech are heard and he can be sat upright against cushions without immediately falling over. First creepy bad thunderstorm/tornadic weather.

Week 6: Tina and Alex take off early for Grand Marais, giving Josh a well-deserved break and some extra sleep. Grandma Michele picks us up and there's an uneventful first ever long car ride. Enjoying life up there with lots of food, cold air, and assistance with baby as well as seeing uncle Tony for the first time, Dad arrives later in the week. Grandpa Chris and Granny Anne get married and Tina has a drink for the first time in many months. Lots of family and fun! Even visited Great Grandpa Whaley and had a 4-generation photo taken. Alex surprises us by starting a sleep pattern that includes 6 hours without waking on most nights, and starts to gurgle, coo, attempt to speak, drool, stick out his tongue, and smile and laugh a lot. First grin caught on camera. Hope he doesn't start to roll over soon... not ready to move him from the bassinet to the crib yet. Baptized in Lake Superior on June 28, 2010.

Week 7: Reluctantly leaving Grand Marais, the family returns home for a second uneventful long car ride. Alex grows into some 3-6 month clothing (already?!) and starts to be very expressive and interactive. Lots of physical development and, I'm sure, a growth spurt to boot. Doctor visit next week to confirm, but Mom is getting bummed out and a bit anxious about the return to work. Has been wonderful spending so much time with Josh every day. At the same time, looking forward to seeing people and bringing him in for a visit. May actually get thank-yous sent out for once. Not sure when the scrapbook will ever get any work time! Still sleeping a lot - has his first holiday, the 4th of July. Too little for fireworks but went out to visit relatives and experienced a very humid day outside.